Chapter 53: A Long Conversation, The Grand Scheme Settled

Chu Junhan responded with a hearty affirmation and clambered onto the bamboo mat, sitting across the small wooden table from the old man. "Sir, you have spoken with perfect accuracy. I trust you have already guessed the nature of my visit?"

"You wish for this old man to come out of retirement and serve under the Chu family's banner," the elder replied, his kindly brows and eyes concealing a piercing sharpness.

"You are truly a sage, nothing escapes your discerning gaze." Chu Junhan bowed his head with cupped hands once more, well aware of the importance the sage placed on etiquette.

Cen Song’s eyes crinkled with a smile as he gently waved his folding fan. "Since the fall of the Great Kang Dynasty, I swore never to meddle in worldly affairs again and have lived in seclusion here ever since. Yet, I see in you a rare intelligence and the makings of greatness. I am willing to teach you the arts of strategy and power, and to take you as my disciple."

"If you are unwilling to leave your seclusion, I will not press the matter. Thank you for your instruction and guidance. There is one question that has troubled me for a long time—may I ask for your wisdom?" Chu Junhan slipped down to his knees and bowed solemnly to Cen Song.

"Rise. What is it you wish to know?" Cen Song extended his wrinkled hand and lifted Chu Junhan to his feet.

The child raised her head and met the old man’s gaze directly for the first time, for she both wanted and needed to know: "I wish to understand—why have you helped the Chu family time and again? Is it to stir up unrest within Tianqing?"

"If I did not aid the Chu family, would Tianqing's turmoil be stilled? You know better than I what the fall of the Chu family would mean. Nor would you wish to see a million Chu soldiers die with their grievances unredressed," the old man replied. The child's direct stare burned into his eyes, causing his eyelids to twitch involuntarily.

She offered a bitter smile and looked at him intently. "You are not a man who covets fame or fortune, nor do you act at another’s behest. Neither are you a butcher who delights in slaughter—you would not wish for the country’s ruin and its people’s suffering. Please, speak plainly, do not leave me to wild conjecture."

"If I said I became fast friends with your father at first sight, would you believe me? If I said it was for the sake of the greater good, you would surely think me evasive and insubstantial."

"If you say it is for the greater good, I believe you. In your eyes, it is not only the Chu family that matters, but the fate of the realm itself. As I stand here speaking with you at length, it is all for the sake of the greater good." There was a faint sorrow in her eyes; the destruction of the Chu family was seared into her memory—nothing could be more painful.

Cen Song’s hand paused in the act of waving the fan, and a faint smile played about his lips. "The greater good? How much do you truly know of the current situation?"

"When the last emperor of the Great Kang Dynasty ascended the throne, the empire was already torn apart and the people destitute. This led to widespread resentment, uprisings everywhere, and the rise of countless self-proclaimed states. Now, there are a dozen or more countries of varying size, and the local powers are deeply intertwined and complex. Of the three great nations, there is Tianqing to the south, Renda to the northeast, and Qiande to the west." The child spoke without hesitation, as though plucking the answer from the air.

The old man’s smile lingered. So, this little one’s ambitions were not merely in her eyes, but engraved upon her heart—how else could she grasp current affairs so thoroughly?

He dipped his finger into his teacup and drew a circle. "The Renda Nation enjoys natural advantages and abundant grain, making it the foremost of the three great powers. Next is Qiande to the west—though harried by nomads, its vast lands place it second."

He drew a smaller circle than the previous two. "The third is Tianqing, your homeland. Not only is it caught between two great powers, but to the far south lies the medium-sized state of Liao. You are surrounded by wolves and tigers on all sides."

The child listened intently; all this she knew already, and it had troubled her for a long time. She trusted that Cen Song would have a masterful plan.

He sighed softly. "Heaven’s favor and earth’s advantage—Tianqing possesses neither. To achieve lasting peace, it must rely on the unity of its people. Yet the king does not sense his own peril, foreign threats go unresolved, and, worse, he stirs up internal strife. If Tianqing continues on this path, its fate will be dire indeed."